2012 in review: Spring showcase

Spring may be the busiest time in sports at Oak Ridge High School. With five sports going on from March to May there were a lot of spectacular moments and triumps. Here are the top five from this past season:

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of a three-part series that looks back at Oak Ridge athletics during 2012.

Spring may be the busiest time in sports at Oak Ridge High School. With five sports going on from March to May there were a lot of spectacular moments and triumps. Here are the top five from this past season:

5. Boys Soccer goes on a tear

The Oak Ridge boys soccer team was sitting at an impasse eight games into the season and with just two wins. Back-to-back losses to eventual state tournament teams Collierville and Bearden didn't help.

But they didn't let that stop them.

The Oak Ridge SoccerCats went on a four-game rout after coming back home winning four straight by a combined score of 20-1.

The wins put them at .500 and gave them the confidence required to beat Knoxville Catholic and West the next week.

No. 4 Softball breaks out of losing streak

On a day when the Lady Wildcats softball team was hoping to raise awareness about cancer, they were also able to raise their spirits.

Down 2-0 after the first and on a double-digit losing streak, Oak Ridge poured on hit after hit to get a 12-4 win over Campbell County. Jade Shephard circled the bases from the batter's box on an error and Angela Whitaker-Sheppard put on a suicide squeeze bunt and stole two bases in the win.

No. 3 Jordan Lane signs with WKU

It's not often a player signs with a NCAA Division I team. ORHS baseball coach Tom Froning said he could count them on one hand in his tenure.

Pitcher Jordan Lane added to the list this year. After nearly breaking the schools single season ERA record, Lane signed with Western Kentucky this past month.

No. 2 'Cats walk-off vs. HVA

Facing a 5-0 deficit in the bottom of the sixth, first baseman Thomas Cox didn't say die. The senior belted a walk-off, two-run double after his teammates scratched together four runs to defeat Hardin Valley 6-5 for the first win of the season.

No. 1 Matt Moore runs to seventh in State Meet

Matt Moore did nearly the impossible this spring. After a false start by another compeititor in the state 100-meter finals, Moore jumped out of the blocks and threw his shoulder out of socket.

He then painfully put it back into place and finished seventh just .01 seconds behind his qualifying time of 11.21.

Moore had to pull out of the 200 race after running a personal best in the East Sectional the week before. His time in the 200, 22.50, would've qualifed him for the finals at state.